South Texas Residents Sue SpaceX Over Alleged Damage Caused by Starship
Residents claim home damage from powerful rocket vibrations.
Abby Larkin
WASHINGTON, May 11, 2026 – About 80 South Texas homeowners are suing Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX for $10 million, claiming that the 11 test flights from the Starship rocket have repeatedly caused damage to their homes.
The plaintiffs claim that test flights have repeatedly caused damage due to noise, vibrations, and sonic booms, leading to cracked walls, broken windows, roof movement, and structural shifts.
In 2025, Starship received authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch up to 25 times a year, five times as many as the year before. According to the Texas Tribune, the lawsuit does not specifically list the damages caused to the homes, but the plaintiffs are pointing to the power of Starship as evidence.
The rocket relies on a 33 Raptor 2 engine booster to run, creating 16.7 million pounds of thrust, equivalent to the power of 618 standard airline engines. A recent study conducted by Brigham Young University found that one Starship launch produces noise equivalent to at least 10 SpaceX Falcon 9 launches.
On the first launch, the launchpad was destroyed, flinging debris three-quarters of a mile away. Musk responded to environmental concerns by stating, “To the best of our knowledge, there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment that we’re aware of.”
The lawsuit is using this as evidence of the rocket’s destructive power, claiming that SpaceX acted with a "conscious indifference” to the safety of residents, fulfilling Texas’ legal standard for gross negligence. On top of negligence, locals are also pursuing a claim of trespassing due to the acoustic energy invading their homes without consent.
The plaintiffs reside in Laguna Vista, Port Isabel, and South Padre Island, all places 5-15 miles away from the rocket’s launch. This is not the only case currently affecting Starship, as the company is facing another lawsuit before the Texas Supreme Court about how often SpaceX can close the Boca Chica Beach to perform launches.
